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elicantu
New member
if im recording vocals of someone singing and in some parts they whisper and on sometimes they are super loud, how would i set up the compressor?
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tmix
Well-known member
If possible record 2 takes.
One with the whisper stuff, where they can get close, and one with the balance of the singing.
One with the whisper stuff, where they can get close, and one with the balance of the singing.
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elicantu
New member
well what if it just trades back and forth really quick i mean i guess i could track with low volumes so it wont peak whenever he gets loud but ...i dont know i was thinking i could slap a compressor on the tracking
Yonce N Mild
Voice of Sanity
In this situation mic control is very important. Get close for the whispers back up for the yells. If you have to compress do it after tracking not during. You can also compensate for the quieter parts by simply raising the volume in the mix on the whispers.
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
I wouldn't use a compressor for that task myself. Volume automation would be my tool of choice.
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elicantu
New member
would i have to explain to the person singing that whenever they are singing loud to get further back?
quick question...does anybody use compressors to track at all?
quick question...does anybody use compressors to track at all?
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Robert D
New member
I would rather approach this with a little mic technique, a little less headroom for the screamo part than I'd normally like, and some wave/volume curve editing. Asking a compressor to level out whispering and screaming, whether pre or post tracking, is asking for trouble.
Simman
Well-known member
Drawing a volume curve is a good way to go and is probably the simplest as well.
However, if you want to try the compressor route, you could use the sidechain and send a copy of the track to it(no return). This will act like a ducker. Every time the level at the sidechain crosses your threshold it will drive down the main vocal track, effectively creating an automated volume control. Hay it may be worth a shot. At the very least, you may lean some new ways to use your compressor.
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DjEmpty
New member
Which softwares allow to you to do Volume automation and draw curves?
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
Just about all of the common wave editors and DAW software will do this. Search the help files for "automation" or "rubber band". ("Rubber band" is one name for the type of control used to draw automation curves.)
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Daisy
Banned
Volume envelopes are far too much work.
And good luck teaching someone mic technique who's probably never even heard of such a thing.
In this situation, I would highly recommend pulverizing the living crap out of it (vocal) with a compressor.
Medium-Fast attack (50 ms or so), medium release (500-600 ms), hard-knee with a ratio of like 10 to 1
Or you could just pull a SteveH, and send him home. That'll show 'em.
And good luck teaching someone mic technique who's probably never even heard of such a thing.
In this situation, I would highly recommend pulverizing the living crap out of it (vocal) with a compressor.
Medium-Fast attack (50 ms or so), medium release (500-600 ms), hard-knee with a ratio of like 10 to 1
Or you could just pull a SteveH, and send him home. That'll show 'em.
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guitarboi89
New member
or.... use two microphones, a close one which you will use for whispers and a far one for louder stuff. This basically the same as having two runs at it.
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Daisy
Banned
notredamer0789
Nashville Rocker
I've never thought of using two mics like that. That should work though. Idk about big compression here. That would be a LARGE task for a pro to take on and make it sound good. I just think that a BIG compressor would make it sound sqaushed in some parts and its a little bit TOO much work. If there is no time constraints though, try two mics, or mic techniques (backing up and moving up quick). Even with volume envelopes, if you don't do it right you can hear it. But thats what recording is about trying new things, so I would play around with it and see what sounds best 
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SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
The "David Bowie" technique - actually the Tony Visconti (sp?) technique, as he was the engineer who came up with it - was used on the "Heroes" album to add the sound of the room (an old warehouse) to Bowie's vocals as he sang louder. He used several mics placed increasing distances, and then gated them so that the farther ones would not kick in until his voice reached a certain volume. The louder Bowie sang, the more of the room reverb was recorded.
Seems like a lot more work and a lot less flexible setting up the mics and then their gates than would be be just setting up the mics and automating the channel mute in mixing. Back in the days of "Heroes", though, they didn't have the software we do now, and programming analog mixer channels (if their board even had that, IDK) was more of a pain back then. But these days to say that setting up a volume envelope on a 3-minute track is "too much work", especaially as compared to getting the multi-mic-and-gate idea setup is highly debatable. You could shape the envelope in a couple of minutes and be almost done in the time it would take just to set up the extra mic stand and cable trying it the other way.
The main thing than concerns me about using the multi-distance-mic technique for this instance, though, are that the "main vocal mic" - or at least the one used for "normal" singing levels - would have to be placed some distance from the singer. This eliminates the ability of the singer to "work the mic" (though it sounds like he might be so inexperienced as to not know that is a main part of his job), and that it increases the amount of the room that will be recorded with the vocal - OK if the room happens to sound OK, not OK if that's not what you want.
It'd be fun to expiriment and play around with if you have the time, though. Especially if you wanted to get the room into the vocal anyway. If it's on the clock, though, or if you want a relatively dry track, I'd just go with the automation and be done with it.
IMHO, YMMV, DIAA, ETC.
G.
Seems like a lot more work and a lot less flexible setting up the mics and then their gates than would be be just setting up the mics and automating the channel mute in mixing. Back in the days of "Heroes", though, they didn't have the software we do now, and programming analog mixer channels (if their board even had that, IDK) was more of a pain back then. But these days to say that setting up a volume envelope on a 3-minute track is "too much work", especaially as compared to getting the multi-mic-and-gate idea setup is highly debatable. You could shape the envelope in a couple of minutes and be almost done in the time it would take just to set up the extra mic stand and cable trying it the other way.
The main thing than concerns me about using the multi-distance-mic technique for this instance, though, are that the "main vocal mic" - or at least the one used for "normal" singing levels - would have to be placed some distance from the singer. This eliminates the ability of the singer to "work the mic" (though it sounds like he might be so inexperienced as to not know that is a main part of his job), and that it increases the amount of the room that will be recorded with the vocal - OK if the room happens to sound OK, not OK if that's not what you want.
It'd be fun to expiriment and play around with if you have the time, though. Especially if you wanted to get the room into the vocal anyway. If it's on the clock, though, or if you want a relatively dry track, I'd just go with the automation and be done with it.
IMHO, YMMV, DIAA, ETC.
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xstatic
New member
In thinking about this, nic technique is always great, but there seems to be some snags. First, if the singer has enough time to move around enough on the mic to actually get proper levels out of both the screams and the whispers, then that also tells me that the vocals are spread out enough in the arrangement to track the two seperately, which ultiamtely seems like the best solution so that neither track is compromised in any way shape or form.
Compression is a good solution if you have a good enough compressor and the experience to know how to use it. By using a combination of mic technique (on the singers end) and aloowing the singer right on top of the mic for the whsipers and having them back up a foot and angle a bit on the screams, then getting a safe level at the preamp, then adding a good 6:1 or higher compression ratio on a decent comp with a fast attack and medium release, you can get a pretty good take of the whole vocal sequence on the same track. This however requires everything to be in place to work. If not, I would seperate the tracks, and iof that wasn't an option, then I would prepare for a lot of editing in post to sperate the whispers from the screams. Probably move one or the other to a seperate track as the EQ may suffer a bit on the louder vocals and the whispers will probably have to be turned up a lot to carry amongst the screams.
Compression is a good solution if you have a good enough compressor and the experience to know how to use it. By using a combination of mic technique (on the singers end) and aloowing the singer right on top of the mic for the whsipers and having them back up a foot and angle a bit on the screams, then getting a safe level at the preamp, then adding a good 6:1 or higher compression ratio on a decent comp with a fast attack and medium release, you can get a pretty good take of the whole vocal sequence on the same track. This however requires everything to be in place to work. If not, I would seperate the tracks, and iof that wasn't an option, then I would prepare for a lot of editing in post to sperate the whispers from the screams. Probably move one or the other to a seperate track as the EQ may suffer a bit on the louder vocals and the whispers will probably have to be turned up a lot to carry amongst the screams.
NL5
Unpossible!
Call me stupid, but I don't see the problem.
Are you trying to make everything in between a scream and a whisper? It seems to me that if he is whispering parts and screaming others, THAT is what he wants.
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elicantu
New member
that two mic technique sounds legit so im gonna give that a shot
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Daisy
Banned
On second thought ... I really don't see the advantage.
The additional setup time with the extra mic will totally offset the saved time just enveloping / automating one track, and then compressing (post-envelope) once the verses are at relatively even levels.
And in the 24-bit world, you're not going to hear a noticeable advantage setting the input levels seperately either.
The additional setup time with the extra mic will totally offset the saved time just enveloping / automating one track, and then compressing (post-envelope) once the verses are at relatively even levels.
And in the 24-bit world, you're not going to hear a noticeable advantage setting the input levels seperately either.
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Robert D
New member
Stupid.
I'm sure he wants some dynamics between the two, just not to the degree he's gonna end up getting without working the mic, or without some help by the engineer.
On the Bowie/Visconti trick, unless you reverse gate the close mic you'll end up having to edit that track anyway, so I don't see that as a time saver. It really shouldn't take that long to edit a single track to get the dynamics straightened out. Then throw a compressor on to dial it in the rest of the way.
OR
Try something different and copy the track, and alternately chop out the whisper and shouting parts so you have a track of each. Then you can experiment with different treatment for each, like wet whisper/dry scream.